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UPDATED BATANES TRAVEL GUIDE: "How To Plan A Trip To Batanes" (Budget, Itinerary, How to Get There, Where to Stay, Expenses, Where to Eat and More!)

Batanes Travel Guide

The Budget Travel Guide to BATANES, Philippines

Planning my Batanes trip is one of the hardest I had so far. I planned it 3 months in advance by reading blogs and asking friends who've been there. Working on a set budget, it wasn't easy to decide whether to get a packaged tour or exploring it in "do-it-yourself (DIY)" way, where to stay, what to eat and outlining the itinerary. So, I'm sharing to you some information I gathered before and during the trip. Hope this will guide you on your Batanes trip soon!

How To Get To Batanes?

Philippine Airlines, Air Swift, and Skyjet Airlines fly directly to Basco, Batanes from Manila and vice versa. Airfare ranges from 8,000 to 12,000 pesos (as of January 2016) round trip. There are also small airlines (Sky Pasada and North Sky) that fly to Basco from Tuguegarao. You may check their website for the fares and schedules.

View from Alapad in Uyugan

Airfare would take the big chunk on your budget. Be sure to plan ahead and take advantage of Batanes seat sale from airline companies. I was able to buy a promo round trip ticket from Philippine Airlines (PAL Express) last February 2013 which I used to fly to Batanes on May 2013. Getting cheap flights saved me a lot on budget.

If you're wondering if you can get to Batanes by land or ship, the answer is no. You can only get there by plane from Manila or Tuguegarao.

San Carlos Borromeo Church in Mahatao, a "National Cultural Treasure"

When is the Best Time to Visit Batanes?

I've been to Batanes in May 2013, January 2014, December 2014 and April 2016. For me, any time of the year is a good time to visit Batanes. Summer in Batanes (March-June) is a good time to visit Batanes since there are minimal rains and it's sunny in Batanes most of the time. But if you wish to experience winter in Batanes, you may schedule your trip from December to February when the weather in Batanes is very cold.

Best Batanes Itinerary

Since our booked ticket is only for 4 whole days in Batanes, our planned itinerary is composed of a 3-day tour covering Batan North (1st day), Sabtang Island (2nd day) and Batan South (3rd day). The 4th day is a free day where we just roamed around Basco. If you wish to visit Itbayat Island, I suggest that you add another 2 days on your itinerary to spend at least a night in the island.

GUIDE TO BATANES: Affordable Tour Packages (Highly Recommended!)

For our trip, since we were only 2, we opted to join a group for us not to miss any tourist spot. We contacted a local tour guide Ryan Cardona (Contact Numbers: 0998-9885898 (Smart) / 0915-8034582 (Globe) / 0919-2795963) and asked if he can accommodate us to join his group tour on our travel dates. Fortunately, he has a group tour and he let us join his tour.

Rakuh a Payaman (Marlboro Country) in Mahatao

He quoted us a packaged 3-day tour for 4,000 pesos each (Rate as of May 2013, check updated rates below). It includes tours in Batan (North and South) and Sabtang islands, 3 lunches, permits/fees, van/jeep, guide, land transfers, boat ride (Batan to Sabtang and vice versa) and water while on tours. It is important that you get an accredited tourist guide that will not just show you the tourist spots but will also share information about the place. That way, you don't just enjoy the sights but also learn as the tour goes by.

Batan North and Batan South tours should be on 2 separate days. If you get a packaged tour with both tours in just one day, it would be a compressed tour wherein you won't be able to visit some of the tourist spots.

With Ryan, our tour guide

Where To Get Best Affordable Batanes Tour Packages for 2017?

To date, I've been to Batanes 4 times. And all of those trips, I always get the service of Mr. Ryan Cardona of BISUMI Tours and Services in Basco, Batanes. Ryan and his tour services team is my most-trusted and highly-recommended Batanes tour guide. No wonder, his team is also the most recommended of almost all the top travel bloggers and travelers who have visited Batanes. READ MORE HERE:Best Affordable Batanes Tour Packages for 2017

BISUMI TOURS AND SERVICES

DIY BATANES: Visiting Batanes On A Budget

While eating in a restaurant in Basco, I had a chance to talk to a freelance tour guide. He gave me the following DIY Rates(please note that these rates are as of May 2013). This could be your guide if you plan to tour on DIY:

IMPORTANT NOTE

YES, Batanes can be explored on DIY (Do-It-Yourself). BUT it's BETTER to hire a local guide. WHY? Because it's a way of helping the community by giving jobs to the locals.

With a local guide, you don't just see Batanes, but also experience their culture. You also LEARN from the stories shared by the local guides. Those are the insights you don't read on BLOGS.

Always, remember that traveling is NOT just being there and seeing the place.

Traveling is LEARNING, not just sightseeing.

Here's a sample computation if we had it DIY:

BATAN NORTH

GROUP

PER PERSON

Tricycle Rental (5 hours @ 200/hour)

1,000

500

Guide Fee

500

250

Lunch (2 persons @ 250 each)

500

250

TOTAL

2,000

1,000

SABTANG ISLAND

GROUP

PER PERSON

2-way Tricycle Transfer (Basco-Ivana Port)

600

300

Environmental Fee (200 each)

400

200

2-way Boat Fare (2 persons @ 75 each/way)

300

150

Tricycle Rental (1 day)

800

400

Guide Fee

1,000

500

Lunch ( 2 persons @ 350 each)

700

350

TOTAL

3,800

1,900

BATAN SOUTH

GROUP

PER PERSON

Tricycle Rental (8 hours)

1,600

800

Guide Fee

1,000

500

Lunch (2 persons @ 350 each)

700

350

TOTAL

3,300

1,650

TOTAL

9,100

4,550

NOTE: Rates are correct as of May 2013. They are subject to change without prior notice. Thank you.

How to Travel Cheaply in Batanes?

It's really up to you whether you get a packaged tour or explore Batanes on a "Do-it-yourself" way - whatever suits your needs and preferences. Please note that you could get cheaper rates if you travel on a bigger group. For me, since we're just a group of 2, joining a packaged tour is our best option.

BISUMI Tours and Services

Budget Accommodation / Hotels In Batanes

There are several hotels, lodges, inns and home-stay facilities in Basco. Rates start at 1,200 pesos per night. Lodges and inns range from 200 to 600 pesos per night. We stayed at Marfel's Lodge (0908-8931475), a home-stay facility near the airport. An air-conditioned room costs 1,000 pesos per night good for 3 persons. We got it for 700 pesos per night for a fan room. Update: As of May 20, 2013, WIFI is now available at the home stay.

Restaurants in Batanes

The best part of staying in a home stay facility is that they have a kitchen where you could cook your meals. That could save you on your budget instead of dining in the restaurants during breakfast and dinner. But I still suggest dining at the restaurants such as Bunker's Cafe and Pension Ivatan for you to have a taste of different Ivatan dishes. In Basco, meals cost around 200-300 pesos.

During tours, meals are pre-ordered; especially in Sabtang and Batan South. If you're on DIY, you have to coordinate this with your guide before the tour. If you're on a packaged tour, this should be already included in the tour package.

I am from batanes... the hedgerows are located in mahatao hills, they are reeds planted in between the fields to serve as wind control and erosion control and as boundary. you can see the hedgerows while you are in the airplane landing or in high places like tukon or in mahatao

- we call it "liveng" in our language,you can see/visit this in Batan island, in Basco and from southern part of Mahatao, traditionally this comprises of trees such as "vutalao" and reeds or "viawu" that are planted to separate farms that serves as windbreaks,property demarcation, erosion control mechanism and perhaps a habitat corridors. While in Itbayat, pile of stones/corals are being use as markers. These hedges are part of the sustainable agriculture system of the Province.

Salamat sa post mo! I did what you suggested. I went to the Philippine Travel Mart to avail of flight discounts and was able to book my flight to Batanes for P6,000 roundtrip. I've contacted my preferred accommodation and booked with them too. I've recently contacted your tour guide Ryan regarding the 3-day day tours. Here's hoping that he also gives me a great price! I'll be traveling in February 2014, I gave myself plenty of time to plan this!

Hi guys! Marc here.. I'll be visiting Batanes on the last week of January 2014. I got my roundtrip airfare all-in for less than 2k via promo fare. Anyone out there who might have booked on the same period? Tara! Kita kits sa Batanes! Godbless and more power to Pinoy Adventurista!

Since ABS-CBN has been going around featuring and giving some sort of award to people whom they have found to be of impeccable honesty (I guess as a promo for their teleserye "Honesto") no one deserves it more than the owners of the honesty cafes and stores found on the Batanes islands, probably even the entire province and its people. What d'yall think?

Hi. Great blog post. However, I'd like to point out that most of the Basco-based tour operators don't pay anything to the communities in Sabtang which is, you'll agree, quite unfair. So please go the extra mile and ask the tour guides how the communities are benefitting ('we bring potential customers' is not enough!), and as always, be respectful and responsible guests, everyone. Enjoy!

Your blog is a very big help for people who love to travel! Like you, I and my family love to see places, and reading your blogs make us prepare a better plans from what to bring up to the expenses allowance prior to our tours! We will be in Batanes this June. I'll follow your itinerary Ruby Miranda

Good day Mr. Mervz. Thank you for the comprehensive insight of your travel. Though this was posted 3 yrs ago, this is a great help for me in planning and accomplishing my dream of going to Batanes with my family.

Hi, Welcome to PinoyAdventurista.com - "One of the Top Travel Blogs in the Philippines and the World!"

You may call me "Mervz." I am a daring traveler, mountaineer, food lover and adventure seeker. I challenged myself to visit all the provinces in the Philippines! On August 7, 2013, I've set foot on all the Philippine provinces. Read more here.

If you wish to contact me for questions, advertising, collaboration inquiries, comments, suggestions, reviews or just about anything, please send an email to mervin@pinoyadventurista.com. I will try my best to reply quickly! Unless, of course, I'm on a trip! :D

Unless otherwise stated, I personally write my blog posts and it expresses my own thoughts and opinions. I pay for all the expenses of my trips (unless otherwise stated). I welcome collaborations, advertorials and reviews as long as they are beneficial to my readers. All reviews on collaborations contain my own views and opinion and were not influenced by anyone. For inquiries, you may contact me here. Thank you very much!